Galen Marek was a Humanmale taken as a secret apprentice by Darth Vader from his father, a Jedi named Kento Marek, on Kashyyyk during the Great Jedi Purge. For years, the Dark Lord trained him, under the codename Starkiller, in dark side arts and to eliminate his enemies, including Jedi who survived Order 66. Marek was told that he would ultimately assist in overthrowing Vader's own Master, Darth Sidious, Emperor of the Galactic Empire. In reality, Vader and Palpatine only planned to use him to root out those who rebelled against the Empire. In 3 BBY, fifteen years after the commencement of Marek's training, he had begun his missions to hunt down the last remaining Jedi.

After killing Shaak Ti on Felucia, he returned to the Executor, his Master's flagship, on which Darth Sidious appeared and ordered Vader to kill the apprentice. In apparent submission, Vader telekinetically hurled him through the viewing windows, into open space. Vader secretly recovered his body and had him "resurrected" six months later on the science vessel Empirical, during which time he was known as Subject Zeta. The Dark Lord convinced Starkiller that he had saved him from death against his Master's orders, and gave him a new assignment: to rally an alliance of rebels who would eventually destroy the Empire.

After locating key figures, Marek and the rebels met on Corellia where they formed the Corellian Treaty, an accord that created the Alliance to Restore the Republic. However, Vader, along with Imperial forces, raided the meeting, captured the rebels, and revealed to Marek that he had only been used to rally the Empire's enemies. Marek tracked the Dark Lord and the Alliance leaders to the Death Star, a massive superweapon, on which he dueled both Vader and Sidious. Marek sacrificed himself, allowing the rebels to escape. His sacrifice inspired them, and the new Alliance would ultimately prove to be the undoing of the Sith.

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Galen Marek was the son of Kento and Mallie, both Jedi and survivors of Order 66 who had traveled the galaxy in search of safe haven until they met the fiercely loyal Wookiees of Kashyyyk. While Galen was watched over by the Wookiees, whether his birth occurred on Kashyyyk or before his parents arrived there is not clear. His mother was killed while defending Kashyyyk from Trandoshan slavers, leaving her husband to raise Galen alone. As a consequence of her death, the Empire became aware of Kento's existence.[4]

Not long after the onset of the Great Jedi Purge, during an Imperial attack on Kashyyyk, Darth Vader landed on the planet in a shuttle on his own mission to hunt the rogue Jedi. Kento met him with fierce resistance, though Vader proved stronger. As Vader was about to deal the finishing blow to Kento inside his hut, his lightsaber was wrenched from his hand. He turned in defense to find a young boy holding his blade, whom Vader sensed had an incredible affinity for the Force.[5]

After the Dark Lord killed the boy's father, the Stormtrooper commander leading the assault arrived. Mistakenly thinking that the child intended to attack Vader with his own weapon, he directed his men to kill him. Vader quickly summoned his saber from the child's grasp and deflected their blasts, killing them to eliminate witnesses of the boy's existence. He then brought the young Galen with him off Kashyyyk and trained him in secret to become his apprentice.[5]

In Vader's custody, Marek was taught the ways of the Force by the Dark Lord personally.[6] The boy was first controlled by fear,[4] not guided every step of the way by his new Master. Instead, he was made to find his own way, Vader offering scant advice and instruction only when he found himself lost. During their many sparring sessions, which involved lightsabers and Force powers, no encouragement was offered by Vader. Moreover, Marek's Master would never debate or enter into deep discussion with the boy. During the brutal training regimen, Galen was pushed to his limits;[6] the physical tests he was subjected to bordered on torture,[4] and many times, he felt on the brink of death.[6]

Starkiller is given the title of apprentice.

Growing up in the secluded underbelly areas of the Star DestroyerExecutor during its construction, the apprentice himself and his abode kept secret, Marek was given access to records of the Galactic Republic and Jedi Order by the Dark Lord. He devoted himself to the study of these records, convinced that understanding an enemy might mean the difference between life and death.[6] He sometimes despaired of attaining Force mastery.[7] His only inspiration was the thought of assisting his Master in overthrowing the latter's own Master, Darth Sidious, the Emperor of the Galactic Empire, as Vader had promised.[6] As the boy grew older, Vader promised him greater power, and was taught to embrace his hate.[4] Singed repeatedly by his master's lightsaber blade, he bore scars from his multiple mock duels. Throughout his training, Galen did not know his true name, but was referred to only by the codename Vader had given him: "Starkiller".[6]

Eventually, Vader dispatched Starkiller on assassination missions against adversaries of both Vader and the Empire. Among the young man's targets were spies, thieves and high-ranking traitors to Imperial rule. To aid him in his task, Vader had provided Starkiller with two tools: a holodroid named PROXY, and a starship, the Rogue Shadow. The Dark Lord handpicked enlisted Imperials to pilot the Rogue Shadow, though he usually executed each of them within only a handful of missions. PROXY was a prototype holodroid who served as a companion and long time friend of Starkiller and traveled with him on the Rogue Shadow. Despite their friendship, PROXY was programmed by Vader with a prime directive to kill his master, further adding to his training. PROXY was equipped with advanced hologram technology that, when coupled with its built-in servos, would allow him to change appearance and adopt a wide range of disguises and abilities. He could also present messages: he would turn holographically into the sender, and the sender would relay the message. In addition, when Starkiller wanted information on an individual, PROXY would "become" that person and access databases to confirm his or her identity.[8]

At night, Starkiller meditated attempting to peer into the future, but never successfully.[8] Consequently, any break from his daily routine would surprise him; thus when Starkiller was made to kneel before the Dark Lord, he awaited death as Vader's lightsaber loomed above his head. Instead, for the first time, Vader acknowledged him as his apprentice, which Starkiller had always considered himself to be.[6]

After commanding him to rise, Vader provided his secret apprentice with his new target: Jedi GeneralRahm Kota, who was attacking key Imperial facilities, the TIE Fighter Construction Facility over Nar Shaddaa in particular. Aside from being his first Jedi target, another element to Starkiller's new mission diverged from previous ones: to evade notice of the Emperor, he was to leave no witnesses, meaning that all whom he encountered aboard, insurgent and Imperial alike, were to be killed.[6] Having spent his life in loyal service to his Master eliminating enemies of the Empire, the prospect of destroying Imperial troops filled the apprentice with uncertainty at first, but he accepted this aspect of the new mission as a test in pursuit of his Sith destiny.[7]

As he entered the Rogue Shadows hanger, he was attacked by PROXY, who had taken on the appearance and lightsaber style of Jedi General and former Jedi Council member Obi-Wan Kenobi. The pair dueled for some time, creating a substantial mess of the nearby equipment, until Starkiller stabbed PROXY through the chest plate. Starkiller, having fought that particular training program long ago, was impressed with the droid being able to surprise him by repeating it after so long. Nevertheless, PROXY expressed disappointment that he had not finally killed his master, wherewith Starkiller replied with his confidence in the constancy of PROXY's primary programming. Despite the gaping hole through his chest, the droid was still able to walk and function, albeit with more difficulty than before.[9]

Vader's secret apprentice using Force lightning on a stormtrooper.

As they approached the ship, Starkiller encountered his new pilot: Juno Eclipse, former captain of Vader's Black Squadron and now the eighth pilot of the Rogue Shadow. Eclipse informed him that she had upgraded the Rogue Shadow's sensor array, so that he could spy on any suspect ships within an entire system. Upon her further questioning of his affiliation and status, Starkiller tersely told her that she need only know their destination.[9]

Inside the starship's cockpit, PROXY detailed the target Jedi Master to Starkiller, who learned that Rahm Kota had been a respected General during the Clone Wars who had relied on his own militia rather than the Clone Army; therefore, there had been no clones to receive Order 66 when it was issued. Only recently had Kota come out of seclusion and started attacking key Imperial facilities with the same militia he had used years before.[7]

Upon reaching the TIE Fighter Construction Facility, Starkiller instructed Eclipse to land in an open hangar. Eclipse was wary, as it was defended, but he responded that he would handle the defenses. Activating the ship's weapons system, he took aim and destroyed the cannon emplacements with two shots. As the Rogue Shadow safely landed in the hangar, Juno informed him that she would slice into the mainframe and guide him through the infrastructure. Starkiller then leapt out of the Rogue Shadow onto the hanger deck. There was no one to be seen, only droids and debris.[7]

Via comlink, Eclipse guided him level by level and voiced her concern over High Command being displeased if the rebels took control of the facility, which Starkiller was apathetic towards.[7] Obedient to his mission's mandate, he left none alive in his path. As the battle progressed, the security level of the facility was raised with an order issued to kill unauthorized personnel. At least two TIE Fighters were shot down by enemy fire, crashing into the walkways. Starkiller took a lift to the next floor, where the militia and Imperial forces were in a firefight on the bridge, leading across the station. A shot down TIE crashed into a walkway and destroyed a portion of it; however, Starkiller easily jumped the gap continuing his mission. All hangars eventually fell to rebel forces, and the assembly lines began to crumble.[10]

As he began breaching the assembly line, Kota's men trapped him within an energy shield. He deactivated it by pulling the machinery out of the wall outside the barrier using the Force, and moved on, confronting an AT-CT walker in the wing assembly, which he compacted into a cube using his power. Unfortunately for him, Kota and his militia had set explosive charges throughout the facility, causing major structural damage.[10]

He eventually reached the command center where Kota was waiting for him. Kota was both surprised and disappointed, as he had expected that Darth Vader himself had come after him. Starkiller made the first move, unleashing a bolt of Force lightning at him, which the Jedi easily deflected. Their duel raged across the command center, while constant explosions were being set off.[7] The general realized he had underestimated the apprentice, but was confident he could still defeat him —- even if that meant bringing the entire factory down on their heads. Through the Force, he tore it in two, sending the factory towards Nar Shaddaa's atmosphere.[10]

Eventually, a fragment of debris struck the Jedi's knees from behind, sending him down to the ground. Starkiller pinned him down with his lightsaber. While their lightsabers were locked, Kota said cryptically that he could see the young man's future, and that he would not always be Vader's servant. With surprise of his own, he said that he saw only himself. Using the moment as an opportunity, the apprentice forced Kota's own lightsaber down onto his eyes. While the Jedi General screamed in agony, Starkiller saw, instead of Kota, a man with dark hair and strong features, not unlike that of his own, and thought that he heard a man shouting to run.[7] The apprentice finished off Kota by using the Force to push him through a glass floor, sending him to free fall through Nar Shaddaa's atmosphere.[10] Though Starkiller did not believe he had killed him, he did believe that he was no longer a threat, and retreated from the facility retrieving the fallen Jedi's lightsaber.[7]

Starkiller returned to the Executor and presented Kota's lightsaber to Darth Vader as evidence for his victory. Though he had proven himself against a Jedi, Vader chastened him for being easily distracted, drawing Kota's lightsaber on him to prove his point. To further Starkiller's training, the Dark Lord sent him to participate in the Jedi Trials, metaphysical challenges, in the long-destroyed Jedi Temple on Coruscant.[11]

Upon arrival in the Rogue Shadow, the apprentice eliminated the stormtroopers and other Imperials guarding the Temple who were blocking his way. Further into the Temple, he heard a voice telling him that he would need all his skill to survive. Immediately after, the apprentice was blasted with what appeared to be Force lightning, which had came from the simulacrum of the long dead Darth Desolous, who had died approximately three and a half thousand years prior on Yaga Minor. The two "dueled", while the simulacrum taunted him, advising him to prepare to join all the Jedi he had killed. Starkiller managed to fight off and eliminate the specter when it attacked.[11]

Following the skirmish, PROXY arrived, displaying a holographic transmission from Darth Vader. Vader informed him of his next Jedi target: the reclusive droid maker, Kazdan Paratus, on Raxus Prime. The Dark Lord claimed that he did not expect the apprentice to survive.[11]

I do not expect you to survive. But if you destroy him, you'll be one step closer to your destiny.

—Darth Vader, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (video game)

During the travel to Raxus Prime on the Rogue Shadow, Starkiller was distracted and frequently asked PROXY to repeat what he had missed while deep in thought. Eventually, he left the cockpit for the meditation chamber to gather his energies, where he stared into his red lightsaber blade to regain his focus and treated his injuries with bacta patches.[12]

As the Rogue Shadow entered Raxus Prime's atmosphere, Starkiller and his companions gazed upon a massive recreation of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, presumably the location of Paratus. Because there were few clearings, the apprentice had to approach the "temple" on foot. He instructed Eclipse to circle past the structure and wait for his signal.[12]

Upon landing on the planet's surface, Starkiller encountered scavenger droids and technobeasts created by the Jedi, as well as Rodian scavengers. Scavenger droids were nothing to worry about, but Rodians were. Via comlink, Eclipse informed Starkiller that they were a clan led by Drexl Roosh, a criminal with thirty-eight counts of fraud. Though the apprentice attempted to avoid them, due to an influx of droids, alarms were set off, resulting in every Rodian being on alert.[13]

Fighting his way through these hordes and activating the hyperdrive engine on a crashed corvette to clear his way, Starkiller soon reached the parody of the Jedi Temple, where he encountered droid golems made by the Jedi from junk and battle droid parts. After defeating them, a massive junk golem smashed through a nearby wall wielding two vibro-axes. When the opportunity presented itself, Starkiller pushed with the Force, blowing its body off its leg and hurling it through a wall. Following the droid to make sure it was destroyed, he found himself in a junk High Council Chamber, surrounded by mannequins of the Masters of the Council during the final days of the Clone Wars in their seats.[13]

As the apprentice observed them, the armor plating opened on the massive droid he had destroyed, and from it emerged his insane Aleena Jedi target. Convinced that the Jedi Masters he had built were real, he told them he would defend them from the "Sith trash". Paratus made the first move, lunging while Starkiller was distracted and leaving a cut down his left forearm. Every blow the latter tried to make was blocked, but Paratus was vulnerable to Force lightning, which left him writhing in pain. When it seemed as if the fight was already over, the junk droid representing Plo Koon rose from his chair and attacked the apprentice with a vibroblade. He was quickly blown to pieces, Mace Windu and Coleman Kcaj were dismembered, Kit Fisto was melted, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi were thrown out a window, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Saesee Tiin, Agen Kolar, and Shaak Ti were blasted with lightning, Stass Allie was beheaded, and Yoda was used as a missile to strike Paratus.[13]

Still convinced that they were real, Paratus mourned for their "deaths". While he wept, Starkiller caught him in a Force grip and smashed him into the window frames and roof. Though he was too weak to fight, the apprentice continued to batter him, fearing a repeat of the vision that had happened while dueling Kota. Finally, he let him drop to the ground, where he was pinned by an avalanche of junk. Paratus's last words were sorrow for failing the Masters.[13]

Starkiller once again contacted Vader with news of his victory, and believed that he was ready to face the Emperor. However, Vader countered that the boy had only defeated "an old man" and "an outcast", and commanded him to return to the Jedi Temple to participate in more of the trials. Upon arrival in the Rogue Shadow, he again met with and eliminated the heightened Imperial Guard Detail at the Temple's entrance.[14]

Starkiller on Felucia.

Inside the Temple, he encountered a specter of another ancient Sith Lord, Darth Phobos. The simulacrum, through a Force illusion, attacked him and probed for weakness in his mind. During their duel, Phobos frequently changed her appearance to one of the few people Starkiller cared for, Captain Juno Eclipse, hoping to cause hesitation and doubt in his actions. However, the aspiring Sith was not fooled for a moment, and stabbed Phobos in the back as she transformed for the last time, ending the program. Afterwards, Vader appeared through PROXY, expressed his approval for Starkiller's success, and informed him of his next target: Shaak Ti, one of the last of the Jedi Council on Felucia.[14]

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Upon reaching Felucia, Starkiller noticed Captain Eclipse's uneasiness. After questioning her about it, he learned that the planet reminded her of Callos. Like Felucia, Callos had been a world overgrown and teeming with life, until it had been razed during the Bombing of Callos, in which Eclipse had led the Imperial forces. Starkiller assured her that she had done the right thing by following orders.[15]

Meanwhile, the Rogue Shadow had been spotted by Shaak Ti, who mobilized her army of Felucians and sent her apprentice, Maris Brood, to hide at the Rancor Graveyard.[16] As the Felucians were Force-sensitive, and their bone swords were resistant to lightsabers, they proved to be tougher opponents for Starkiller than the stormtroopers, militia, and droids he had previously faced, though their skill and ability still did not exceed his.[17] In addition, they appeared to be more organized and powerful than Imperial records indicated.[18] The entire planet was alive through the Force. Once balanced between light and dark, Shaak Ti's Force influence had suppressed the dark, herself a shining beacon Starkiller easily tracked in the Force. Killing Ti would undo her efforts on Felucia.[17]

After fighting his way through Felucians and rancors, Starkiller finally encountered the Jedi Master at the Ancient Abyss; a place of sacrifice for the Felucians, and in reality the only known Mega Sarlacc pit. As he approached her, Shaak Ti appeared to be in deep meditation. Thinking it to only be a facade, Starkiller ripped a mushroom out of the sarlacc's skin and threw it towards her head, which she deflected telekinetically, barely moving. He then attempted to influence the sarlacc's mind so that it would attack the Jedi, but his attempts proved futile as she assisted it in its resistance. Activating her lightsaber, she leapt toward him, striking downward. The apprentice backflipped and blocked the opening blow, while the force of it surprised him. With that, the duel had begun.[17]

Their duel spanned the length of the pit with both combatants nearing their limits. During the fight, Ti told him that light and dark were only directions, before striking three blows, the third of which Starkiller telekinetically stopped the tip just before it would have pierced his eye and killed him, while at the same time stabbing her through the torso.[17]

In pain, she released her lightsaber and uttered a fateful prophecy that Starkiller would eventually learn that the Sith always betrayed one another, before allowing herself to fall into the sarlacc's maw with pity in her eyes knowing she could not win . As she began her plummet, Starkiller, halfheartedly tried to catch her, but failed and was knocked backwards by an explosion of Force energy. The remaining Felucians appeared to lose interest in Starkiller and returned to the jungle. Starkiller's actions would have far-reaching consequences as, with the death of Shaak Ti, Felucia recoiled into darkness.[17] PROXY would later remark that he was unsure whether, by reaching for the Jedi as she fell into the pit, he wanted to finish her himself, or because he sensed truth in her words.[2]

After informing his master of Shaak Ti's death, Vader told him to return to the Executor immediately, for the time had come to face the Emperor. As Starkiller was aboard the Executor, the Emperor's fleet arrived. Starkiller believed that Vader had lured Sidious to them, but Vader revealed that he did not summon him. As the confused Sith apprentice turned to see PROXY entering the room in the form of Darth Sidious, he was brutally stabbed through the back by the very man who raised him, as Vader angrily stated that the Emperor's spies had followed him there. Darth Sidious commanded Vader to finish off Starkiller and prove his loyalty. Despite Starkiller's pleadings, Vader turned on him, telekinetically ravaging him around the command bridge before finally hurling him through the view port windows. While his body lifelessly drifted through space, a lone cargo droid swiveled by, picked him up and took him to a hidden location.[8]

Approximately six months later, Starkiller awoke once more. As it turned out, Vader had rescued him, sending out a droid to recover his body, and brought him to be rebuilt on Vader's personal science vessel, the Empirical. Vader, through PROXY, told Starkiller his new objective: to distract the Emperor's spies following Vader by giving them something else to focus on, like a rebellion. Starkiller was given a new role, no longer appearing as Vader's assassin, but instead as a Rebel hero. In addition to healing his many scars, Vader also gave Starkiller Kota's old green-bladed lightsaber to replace his, which had been lost when he was thrown out the view port. PROXY then warned Starkiller that they needed to escape quickly as his orders from Lord Vader were to fly the ship into a sun to destroy all evidence of Starkiller's existence. Right before reaching the lift to the Rogue Shadow, Starkiller found Juno held captive and freed her, bringing her along onboard the Rogue Shadow. There she told Starkiller that Vader had branded her a traitor to the Empire. Taking the first step into his mission from Vader, Starkiller told her he didn't care, that he was leaving the Empire for good.

After escaping from the Empirical Starkiller felt compelled by the Force to return to the Temple a final time to finish the Trials. He infiltrated the Temple and made his way to the lobby of the High Council Tower and entered the ancient turbolift that would transport him to the summit chamber. When the turbolift stopped and emptied into the Council Chambers, Starkiller gazed upon his next adversary; a robed Jedi, yet another opponent selected from the Trials program’s memory bank.

Starkiller began to hurl the Council chairs around the room, pulling the columns from the wall and slashing with his lightsaber. Lifting his opponent with the Force, Starkiller tossed the Jedi phantom towards the high windows of the chamber, shattering them. Only a computer program maintained by the Archives, the Jedi phantom could not exist outside the building and thus was not so easily defeated. Using the Force and other techniques to subdue the Jedi phantom, Starkiller eventually pulled the Trials’ ghost down and impaled him with his saber. Before the program cut out, the Jedi revealed itself to be Kento Marek, Galen’s father. Shocked by this revelation, Starkiller watched in horror as his father’s image faded away. Leaving the ruined Chambers of the High Council, Starkiller made his way out of the Temple for the last time, on a personal mission to find Rahm Kota.

Starkiller, PROXY, and Juno began planning the creation of a Rebel Alliance. Starkiller recalled Rahm Kota's words, that he would be in the assassin's future. The three of them decided to seek out Kota for help in forming the alliance, tracking him down in a bar on Nar Shadda. Following a trail of rumors about a drunken Jedi, they learned that one of the Empire's most dangerous agents was also after Kota. Moving to find Kota quickly, Starkiller found himself tangled with local ruffians and compelled to subdue them. After Starkiller met up with the blind Jedi, who appeared not to sense who he was, the two fled the bar when they were assaulted by more ruffians and also a squadron of Imperial stormtroopers led by one of the Emperor's Shadow Guard. They managed to escape aboard the Rogue Shadow after wiping out more ruffians and the Imperial squadron, freezing the guardsmen with carbonite gas.

Kota, blinded and supposedly without his connection to the Force, told the group that he had a contact in the senate who could help with their rebellion. Pursuant of this contact, but maintaining the contact's anonymity, he directed the group to Kashyyyk. Upon arriving, the group found that a large skyhook had been constructed in orbit.

Setting down according to Kota's directions, Starkiller eventually reached a hut that felt strangely familiar. Despite Kota's warnings, he entered the hut and was suddenly bathed in a cerulean miasma where he was visited by the Force Ghost of Kento Marek, his father who was slain by Vader. Then he envisioned a masked Sith Lord covered in metal spikes dueling a Jedi Knight. After stabbing the Jedi repeatedly with the various sabers attached to his belt, he took the Jedi's own lightsaber a laid him low. When the vision passed, he was left in confusion. His father apologized to him, saying that he never wanted his son's life to end up the way it was, revealing his true name: Galen Marek. When this last vision ended, he found a blue lightsaber crystal that had once belonged to his father.

Upon emerging from the hut, Starkiller fought his way through the Imperial forces stationed on the planet surface, and eventually met Bail Organa's "daughter", Princess Leia, held captive by Imperials. Initially believing Starkiller was there to assassinate her, Leia was quickly convinced otherwise when she heard Kota was with him. However, when Starkiller attempted to get her to leave with him, she refused to go, demanding that if he was truly a Jedi then he would destroy the skyhook used to transport Wookiee slaves offworld. Should he destroy the moorings anchoring the skyhook to the planet, she would leave. Starkiller reluctantly agreed and set off into the forest once again.[8]

After fighting through heavy Imperial resistance with the help of several freed Wookiees, Starkiller eventually reached the base of the skyhook, guarded by CaptainOzzik Sturn piloting his personalized AT-KT. After dealing with Sturn and his Imperial troops, Starkiller used the Force to rip out the moorings of the skyhook and caused its collapse before returning to the Rogue Shadow amidst Wookiee celebration.[1]

Back onboard the Rogue Shadow, Starkiller questioned Kota, demanding to know where Bail was. Kota told him that Bail had originally asked himself to rescue Leia, but he refused, so Bail went to Felucia to seek out Shaak Ti, not knowing she had been killed.

Starkiller and the group went to Felucia to track down the Alderaaniansenator. Once they reached the planet, Starkiller saw a difference in the world now devoid of Shaak Ti's influence. The planet seemed even more hostile than during his first visit, with the native Felucians corrupted by the dark side, and even the plants attempting to kill him. In addition Imperial troops were clashing with the natives throughout the jungle, forcing Starkiller to fight against both sides to continue. After searching the familiar sites of his previous visit in vain, he followed a dark side Force-signature he detected along another treacherous journey which led him through the gullet of the Sarlacc before being ejected into a rancor graveyard where he found the imprisoned Senator Organa. Maris Brood, Shaak Ti's apprentice, had turned to the dark side, in step with the rest of the planet, and was holding Bail prisoner in hopes of trading the Senator for lenience from Vader. After slaying her pet Bull Rancor, Starkiller quickly subdued and defeated Maris Brood. She begged for mercy saying that when Shaak Ti was killed, the planet and all its inhabitants were corrupted. Starkiller let her go despite the protests of the rescued Bail Organa and she disappeared with a wink into the jungle.

Bail told the group that there had been talks of rebellion among other senators, but no one had begun anything because they needed to be shown that the Empire was weak and vulnerable. Starkiller said he would meditate on a target to attack to rally the needed support. In reality, aboard the Rogue Shadow, he communicated with Darth Vader through PROXY. Vader directed him to attack an Imperial shipyard above Raxus Prime. Juno inadvertently walked in on the transmission, and immediately after it ended she confronted Starkiller about it. She challenged him, demanding he make a decision over whether he would continue as Vader's slave or actually help them with the pending rebellion. This encounter with her led him to some serious introspection, not unlike the ways of a Jedi.

During the journey back to Raxus Prime, Starkiller contemplated his new found origins along with his destiny. Ruminating over his identity, he replaced one of the green crystals of Kota's lightsaber with the blue crystal he had found on Kashyyyk, changing the saber's hue from green to aqua, and making it his own.[8]

On Raxus Prime, Starkiller fought his way through the local Imperial troops as well as a trap set by Drexl Roosh and reached an ore cannon that was being used to launch metallic refuse into space for use by the Imperial shipyard. Starkiller reprogrammed the cannon to fire directly at the shipyard instead, utterly obliterating the facility. Unfortunately for Starkiller, it also damaged a nearly completed Star Destroyer causing it to give in to the planet's gravity. As it careened out of orbit and closed in on Starkiller, Kota told him to use the Force to crash it into the ore cannon. Starkiller succeeded, incredibly surviving the crash and the ensuing destruction.

Meanwhile, unfortunately for the crew of the Rogue Shadow, Raxus Prime's core, a super intelligent computer, had corrupted PROXY while the droid had been slicing into it. PROXY knocked out Juno, locked the ship's launch codes and took off for the core's mainframe. Upon contacting the ship and learning what had transpired, Starkiller vigilantly pursued his friend. After a fierce duel with innumerable droids, the Core, and PROXY in the guise of Darth Maul, Starkiller successfully defeated the core and recovered the droid. However, PROXY insisted Starkiller leave him behind as the core had deleted his primary programming. Starkiller refused to leave his childhood friend behind and brought him back to the Rogue Shadow.

In order to build the Rebellion further, Kota directed Starkiller to Cloud City in search of another powerful ally, Senator Garm Bel Iblis. With his military resources, along with Bail Organa's financial resources, there would be sufficient support for the creation of the desired resistance against the Galactic Empire's rule. However, upon reaching the Cloud City, Starkiller discovered that Bel Iblis was captured by a criminal, Chop'aa Notimo. Fighting his way through bounty hunters and mercenaries, he reached Notimo and defeated and killed him. He freed Garm, who told Starkiller that he would join the Rebellion.

The destruction of the shipyard worked to prove to Senators Iblis and Mon Mothma that the Empire could be defeated. Bail Organa and the other senators met with Starkiller and Rahm Kota at an ancient monastery in the mountains of Corellia to officially create the Alliance. While Bail's expansive wealth would fund the rebellion, Garm Bel Iblis would provide their starships while Mon Mothma would support their soldiers. Bail also stated, with much dignified veneration, that with Galen as the rebellion's leader, "We will have the power of the Force on our side."

Unfortunately, Lord Vader and Imperial stormtroopers attacked their gathering, quickly dispatching the Senators' bodyguards. Kota grabbed Starkiller's lightsaber and attempted to stop Vader, but was easily defeated by Vader's use of Force Choke. Vader revealed to all present that the alliance and gathering was a ploy and ordered Kota and the Senators to be brought to the Death Star for personal execution. Starkiller questioned the Dark Lord on why he was there, and Darth Vader revealed that this gathering had been a plot created by the Emperor himself to gather all of his enemies and capture them in one swift stroke. Vader then told Starkiller that he never planned on killing Palpatine with Starkiller and hurled a heavy table at him, knocking him out of the building and over the side of a cliff. As Vader prepared to finish his former apprentice, PROXY, guised as Obi-Wan Kenobi, appeared and attacked him. The two dueled, but Vader easily dispatched PROXY in his attempt to try and save Starkiller. When Vader turned back to the cliff's edge, Starkiller was gone.

After the Imperials left, Juno searched for Starkiller, found that he had miraculously survived the fall and brought him onboard the Rogue Shadow. She asked, if Vader never planned to kill Palpatine with Starkiller, why he let them destroy Imperial targets. Then the truth suddenly hit Starkiller that everything was set in order to sell the deception, that all, including himself, had been disposable tools for Vader to accomplish his own ends and those of his master. When Juno inquired about their next destination, Starkiller replied, "We're going after Vader…and the rebels." Starkiller ceased to exist; Galen Marek was reformed, the makings of a Jedi, like his father before him.

Marek meditated to find his former master's location and, finally achieving the power of foresight, discovered the Death Star I under construction in the Horuz system. After Juno expertly piloted the Rogue Shadow, utilizing the cloaking system to get close enough to board, Marek bid Juno farewell, both knowing they would probably never meet again. The two embraced, and Juno left him with a passionate kiss. He then leaped from the gangway and fell down a long tunnel into the station. Marek slaughtered all Imperials who crossed his path, desperately focused on reaching the Emperor, even inciting a revolt by freeing Wookiee slaves, who then guided him in the right direction.

Palpatine sensed his presence and sent Darth Vader to pursue him, not more than a hundred meters from Palpatine and the Rebels. Marek engaged Darth Vader in a massive lightsaber duel, confronting Vader between blows about the truth of his past. He came to the conclusion that it was Palpatine pulling the strings all along; that he ordered the death of his father, that he ordered Marek to be raised in darkness by Vader, a slave to the emperor's will. The duel ended with Marek using the Force to throw columns, support beams, and anything he could find at Vader. After defeating his former master, leaving him near death, Marek felt strong impressions of destroying Vader, and eventually also of serving Palpatine as the emperor's new apprentice. Palpatine telekinetically summoned Marek to strike down Darth Vader, and take the Dark Lord's place. Sensing Palpatine's tactic, Kota defiantly used the Force to snatch Palpatine's lightsaber, dispatched the Imperial Guards who held him and the other rebels prisoner, and then assaulted the Emperor. Palpatine, turning to bear down on Kota, began electrocuting him with Sith lightning. Marek struggled internally for a moment, but, deciding to protect his friend and mentor, intervened at last.

Using the Force, Marek hurled bits of broken transparisteel and debris at the Emperor, who was forced to break off his attack. What followed was a titanic battle of Force powers. Palpatine abruptly dropped to his knees, and urged Marek to kill him. As Marek approached Palpatine to finish him, the Emperor goaded him to give in to his hatred and pursue his Sith destiny by destroying him. With Kota's urging, however, Marek resisted the seduction back to the Sith way and spared the Emperor's life. As Marek turned to leave, Palpatine leapt to his feet and again attacked Kota with Sith lightning for speaking out. Marek, in response, dove in front of his friend and began to deflect the lightning, slowly advancing toward Sidious.

The Emperor's lightning was so intense it felt like a "star igniting" within Marek's chest. Meanwhile, Darth Vader returned to the battle leading a squadron of stormtroopers. With lightning illuminating the entire room, Marek, seeing his friends in trouble, opened his body to the Force and released everything he had within him. This resulted in an explosive blast that shredded the stormtroopers and all but destroyed the Emperor's tower, allowing Juno, Kota, and the Senators to escape aboard the Rogue Shadow. The explosion combined with Palpatine's Sith lightning culminated in the end of Marek's life, though Palpatine and Vader were able to shield themselves with the Force. In spite of his death, however, Marek had thwarted the Emperor's plans and died a hero.

Palpatine was far from pleased with the results of the battle. Not only was he robbed of an extremely powerful new apprentice and still burdened with the diminished Vader, but the prisoners had escaped and the two Sith Lords had inadvertently created a rebellion. However, thanks to Marek, the Empire now knew who their enemies were and Vader vowed to hunt down and crush them, as his Master intended long ago. Sidious correctly foresaw that if the rebels were not quickly and decisively dealt with they could pose a grave threat to his rule. The duel also had another outcome in that it drove a further wedge between the Dark Lords. Vader realized that Sidious desired a new apprentice, and as a result he determined to find a powerful Force sensitive apprentice to help him overthrow his master in earnest.

Galen Marek's death inspired the Rebels to finish what he began: a full scale revolution against the Empire. Juno and Bail recovered PROXY from the snow on Corellia who then revealed that Marek told him that if anything happened to him, PROXY was to be in the charge of Juno. Immediately after recovering PROXY, they along with the other founders of the rebellion met on Kashyyyk. Princess Leia proposed that the Rebels use the Marek family crest as a symbol of hope to rally behind, with which all agreed.

Juno asked Kota if he knew that the man who created the alliance was the same one who tried to kill him less than a year earlier. Kota revealed that he had always known, and still agreed to help, because he glimpsed in his pupil's mind one bright thing that he held on to: Juno.

Though he was brutally and continually punished by his master, Darth Vader, Galen Marek submitted willingly to the teaching method of the Dark Lord, essentially because he knew nothing else. He was also of the belief that whatever did not kill him would make him stronger, more adept in wielding the dark side. Such was Marek's state of mind towards the end of his training with Vader that a part of him almost wished for death.[3] In addition, due to his life-long isolation from all but a few individuals, Marek was rather reclusive to anyone but PROXY, and only began to open up to Juno Eclipse after a great deal of time.

When hunting down and dispatching his targets, Marek was always satisfied that he had helped defend the Galactic Empire and fulfill his master's will. To that end, he was disturbed by the fact that he would have to cut down Imperial troops during his mission to kill General Kota, feeling that their only crime had been to cross his path, but he was careful to conceal his feelings from his master. At the same time, for much of his life he had craved a confrontation with a Jedi Knight, and was excited by the prospect.[3]

Marek was raised by Darth Vader, who was not a very kindly father figure, creating turmoil, anger, and apathy in his mind. He was trained to be loyal, but also a ruthless assassin and an unstoppable force. While powerful and confident, he demonstrated many different sides to his personality. He was wary of his purpose in life and what he was meant to be doing; he began with a sure focus on the Sith destiny trained into him by Vader. However, his exposure to both Jedi, the light side of the Force and also to the reality of Sith life caused his focus to waver. Ultimately, his innate sense of loyalty proved incompatible with Sith philosophy, and he gradually made his choices in life accordingly.

After Vader's second betrayal on Corellia, Marek displayed not only anger, but also pity for the Dark Lord, remarking that if he were to die there, then Vader would never be free from his master. When Marek converted to the light, the last of his persona as Starkiller ceased to exist, and Marek fully accepted his destiny in the makings of a Jedi. During his battle with Darth Vader, Marek stated that he did not hate the Dark Lord, but pitied him, declaring that he would kill him to free him.

When the Emperor tempted Marek into killing Vader, Marek struggled briefly with his emotions, but in the end decided he would not return to the dark side, and so made his choice to attack the Emperor instead, saving himself from the dark side.

Marek was trained in lightsaber combat by Darth Vader, sparring frequently with his master, and having many vicious bouts with his training droid, PROXY. Marek's skill with the lightsaber was also great enough for him to defeat all of PROXY's training programs replicating legendary duelists such as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul, as well as such actual duelists like Shaak Ti and Darth Vader.[8] However, it should be noted that despite his abilities of wielding a lightsaber, he could only defeat these opponents with the use of his Force powers, which were outstanding.

Marek had a basic familarity with all seven forms of lightsaber combat, able to recognize them in his opponent's style and technique. For himself, he specialized in Juyo and Soresu. His usage of Juyo was highly focused and aggressive, his style being randomized and unpredictable, laced with sudden Force-based attacks in the midst of complex lightsaber sequences. His focus and concentration allowed him to bring down opponents through sheer tenacity, though it also led him to ignore his surroundings and left him open to attacks from other directions.[8]

Whenever forced onto the defensive, he would fall back on his practise of Soresu. Marek's Form III usage was largely self-taught, his skills aquired through imitation of PROXY's Obi-Wan Kenobi combat module. Despite his lack of formal training, Marek's prowess in Soresu was considerable. A notable application of his improvised Form III usage was during his duel with Rahm Kota, where Marek's skill enabled him to hold off Kota's Juyo frenzy long enough to tire out the Jedi. Marek also proved able to defend himself against other highly aggressive duelists such as Kazdan Paratus and Maris Brood, ultimately allowing him to defeat them.[8]

Other than Forms III and VII, Marek also possessed skill in Form V. He practiced a varient of the form known as "Sith Shien", a style that relied on sudden and rapid attacks to bring down opponents quickly. Marek also favored the unorthodox Shien-style reverse grip in combat.[19]

You are Vader's slave…but your power is wasted on him. You could be so much more.

—Shaak Ti, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (video game)

Galen Marek was highly skilled in physical applications of the Force, often relying on Force-enhanced acrobatics to back up his lightsaber skills. His abilities with Force lightning were highly impressive, as he demonstrated enough power to kill a rancor beast with high-intensity barrages. His proficiency with telekinesis was incredible, as he frequently utilized it in combat, tearing up the battlefield with kinetic blasts and Force-throws. His abilities with telekinesis were such that he could, albeit with great effort, rip an Imperial I-class Star Destroyer out of the sky and force it to the ground. However, he was also able to apply it in a more precise manner, dismantling and reassembling his lightsaber during his meditations.

Despite his considerable abilities with those combative powers, however, Marek had great difficulty with voluntary Farsight, until his eventual conversion to the light.[3]

Marek’s first lightsaber appeared to be based off the design utilized by Darth Vader, featuring an emitter shroud and a mostly solid casing. However, rather than follow the over-sized, bulky design of his master’s weapon[20], Marek opted for a considerably more skeletal make. His weapon featured an exposed crystal chamber, and rather than include a handgrip, the whole of the weapon was sheathed in somewhat tarnished looking bare-metal.[21] The blade utilized a set of red crystals supplied by Vader.[8]

In addition to wielding it in combat, Marek also used the weapon to aid in his meditations, either holding it in front of his face and staring into the ignited blade,[22] or telekinetically dismantling and reassembling it.[21]

This weapon was ultimately lost when Marek was first betrayed by Vader, when he was impaled, telekinetically pummeled, and spaced. The lightsaber was lost in the vacuum.

After his resurrection on board the Empirical, Marek was given the weapon of Rahm Kota,[8] which he had originally retrieved for Vader during his duel with the Jedi Master.[21] Marek quickly adjusted to the green-bladed weapon, utilizing it during his escape from the Empirical. The weapon saw use on Cloud City and Kashyyyk against the likes of the Imperial Shadow guard and Captain Ozzik Sturn.[21]

The lightsaber of Rahm Kota, and Marek’s second weapon.

However, while Marek wielded the weapon successfully in combat, he never truly felt that it was his own, and was unsuccessful at utilizing it in his meditations.[8] To rectify this, he replaced the green lightsaber crystal utilized by Kota with a blue crystal he found on Kashyyyk in the ruins of his family’s hut, the crystal from his father’s lightsaber.[8] After an hour of fine tuning to fit in the new crystal, the weapon was finished.[8]

The newly modified weapon was now truly Marek’s lightsaber. With the new aqua-colored crystal, the blade seemed lighter and moved more readily in Marek’s hands, and Marek noted the weapons superior optical properties.[8]

After its modification, the weapon was wielded by the Marek for the rest of his life, ultimately seeing use against the very man who gave it to him; Darth Vader. After defeating Vader, Marek wielded the weapon against his former master’s master, Palpatine.[21] Marek managed to subdue Palpatine, but ultimately sacrificed his own life to save his friends from Palpatine’s wrath. The weapon remained with Marek until his death and was found by Vader and Palpatine with his corpse.

In addition to his original set of red crystals, the green crystals in Kota's lightsaber, and his father's aqua crystals, Marek had access to numerous colors. This even included the rarely seen set that generated a black blade. With the exception of the black crystals, he had access to compressed and unstable versions of each color, signifying that many if not all the crystals in his possession were synthetic in origin.[21][23]

During his years of training under Darth Vader, Galen Marek clad himself in a simple Imperial combat uniform. However, due to the years of wear and tear it suffered, by 2 BBY, the uniform was a tattered mess, held together only by Marek’s mending. [24]
Marek also possessed two variations of this basic outfit.

The first was the heavy gear, which he wore during his time on Raxus Prime, hunting for Kazdan Paratus. [25] This variation was made of thick, heavy-duty fabrics to protect against the caustic environment of the planet, a large wrap-around cape to protect his neck and the lower half of his face, and it featured heavy metal gauntlets to protect his hands from the jagged metal edges in the Raxus wastes. [26]

The second was the light training gear, which he wore on Felucia during his hunt for Shaak Ti. Being designed for hot and humid environments, [27] the outfit was essentially a stripped-down version of his basic combat uniform. The light gear consisted of his basic uniform pants with wraps covering his arms and gut, but with the exception of straps holding on the arm-wraps, his chest and upper back were left bare. One of the straps across his chest included a set of leather pockets attached, and he kept a Rangefinder slung across his back.

The Jedi Adventure robe, one of several garments Marek clad himself in during his exile.

Being required to travel the galaxies, Marek had access to dozens of outfits that his ship was stocked with. Notables ones included a bounty hunter armor which he wore while searching for Rahm Kota on Cloud City undercover, a Corellian flight suit, utilized on Kashyyyk, and a Jedi Adventure Robe wore on the rescue of the rebels on the Death Star. Despite being disguises, they also showed Galen's evolution and subsequent redemption, going from the dark attires of his earlier "Secret Apprentice"-days to the white-light-grey robes of a Jedi he had finally become and died as.

You had such promise. You could have been my successor. My equal. But now… But I may still have some small use for you. We still have enemies to find and destroy. You will do my bidding until I find a new apprentice. And then like Vader, you will be cast aside. Finish him.

In the alternate ending of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Marek chose to finish off Vader, avenging the murder of his father and the two betrayals on himself. After another long battle, Galen stripped Vader of his lightsaber, as he did as a child, and ran him through with it. Marek then returned to the main platform where the Emperor was standing over an injured Kota. He instructed the apprentice to kill Kota, giving himself to the dark side and fulfilling his destiny. Marek ignited his lightsaber, ready to strike down his new mentor, but instead turned and swung at Palpatine. Palpatine immediately ignited his own lightsaber, easily deflecting his attack. He admitted to having foreseen the attack and shocked Marek with a blast of force lightning before flinging him through a window out onto the landing platform as Juno flew the Rogue Shadow down for boarding. Staggering on the ground, Marek saw that Bail and the other Rebel leaders had already been killed. Palpatine Force gripped the Rogue Shadow and hurled it at Marek. Screaming in terror as the massive vessel fell on top of him, Marek was struck silent and saw utter blackness the next moment.

Marek later woke up on an operating table in the EmPal SuRecon Center, much like the one Darth Vader rested on during his own transformation while his suit was constructed. He was now wearing his own suit of armor, presumably the only thing keeping him alive. Palpatine stood before him, saying he expected more from the apprentice and thought he could have one day become the greatest Sith in the galaxy. Marek became Palpatine's apprentice, obliged to do the Emperor's bidding just as Vader before him, and screamed in agony as his suit was completed. He bore six lightsabers on his belt: his original lightsaber, Darth Vader's lightsaber, Rahm Kota's lightsaber, half of Darth Maul's lightsaber, his new sith lightsaber and the severed end of Kazdan Paratus's long-handled lightsaber.

The first mission in this new setting consisted of Starkiller being sent to Tatooine to find information regarding the stolen Death Star plans. Carving his way through numerous Jawas and Tusken Raiders, Starkiller broke into Jabba's palace and cut down numerous thugs in an effort to gain a meeting with the crime lord. His destructive spree impressed Jabba, and he agreed to meet with Starkiller. Starkiller inquired about two droids: a protocol droid and an astromech droid who were thought to hold the plans. Jabba initially denied any knowledge of these droids, but a foolish blunder on the part of his current translator droid gave away his deception.[29]

Enraged by this latest development, Jabba dropped Starkiller into the rancor pit. However, Starkiller killed the Rancor and escaped through the palace incinerator, encountering a salvaged and hobbling PROXY along the way. PROXY helped Starkiller bypass the garbage disposal security, allowing him to escape to the Palace hangar, where he was confronted by Boba Fett, who was looking to collect on the bounty on Starkiller's head. The two engaged in a lengthy battle, but Starkiller ultimately prevailed when he telekinetically threw one of Fett's rockets back at him, killing the bounty hunter. Following the information inadvertently revealed by Jabba's translator, Starkiller traveled to Mos Eisley and stormed in on Docking Bay 94 just as the droids, accompanied by Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, were boarding the Millenium Falcon. Kenobi remained in the bay to confront Starkiller, who was pleased at the thought of finally destroying the "real Obi-Wan Kenobi", having spent a great deal of his training under Vader battling PROXY's combat module of the Jedi.[29]

Starkiller confronting Obi-Wan Kenobi in Docking Bay 94.

After a lengthy lightsaber duel with Kenobi, Starkiller finally cut down the elderly Jedi. However, before he could board the Falcon, he was suddenly attacked by Kenobi's Force ghost. After another lengthy duel, Starkiller managed to vanquish the spirit, just as the Millenium Falcon took off. Leaping onto the hull, he managed to plant a tracking node before falling off.[29]

After the Millennium Falcon escaped him, Lord Starkiller, having put the tracking device on on its hull, was able to track them to a hidden rebel base located on the ice planet Hoth along with the dreaded Imperial Fleet. Once he was groundside he led an attack on the Rebel base using the walkers to reach a drop point and to destroy a fighter before jumping out at a planned infiltration route which led him underground into a massive ice cavern. Although that route proved dangerous, according to the C.O CaptainKeenah the vibration of the walkers on the surface was causing the frozen path to become unstable and break whenever it was walked on; additionally, there were many Wampas. The captain said that he might have overlooked this when planning his infiltration. Starkiller, upset over his subordinate's failure, said, "You have failed me for the last time Captain Needa." The captain replied, "If that is the case then I take full respo-" Before he could finish his sentence, he was killed by Starkiller's Force Choke, mirroring Darth Vader's punishment for failure.

Starkiller: We meet at last son of Vader.Luke: You're wrong. My father was a Jedi. Vader murdered him.Starkiller: So you have been told.

After fighting through many Rebels and wampas he managed to locate Luke Skywalker. After exchanging a few words they fought. Luke, having no real training, was easily defeated by Starkiller's immense Force abilities and battle experience. Luke, fearing for his life, tried to run away, but tripped and dropped his lightsaber, leaving him open to attack. Before Starkiller could attack him, however, Luke used the Force to rip open the door to the adjacent wampa cell, releasing the creatures to attack Starkiller and buying himself time get his saber and escape.

So Starkiller pursued Luke to the base's hanger, where the Millennium Falcon was, along with Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and the two droids C-3PO an R2-D2. He wasn't able to get to the ship because it was behind shields so he fought his way to the generators that were keeping the shields up. He destroyed them using the Rebel ships in the hangar. Once the shield was lowered, however, emergency blast doors sealed the way to the ship. Starkiller, using the Force, began to pry open the the door. As he was doing this, he was caught off guard by Luke, who Force pushed him many feet away. Luke resealed the door and approached Starkiller, resolving to fight him to protect his friends until they were ready to escape, stating "I won't run from my destiny, or from you."

So their second battle began with the two of them exchanging quick attacks with their lightsabers. Although Luke fought bravely, he was nothing compared to Starkiller's focused combat abilities. Starkiller toyed with Luke as if he were a child, eventually overpowering him. With Luke at his mercy Starkiller mocked him, saying "Now I will destroy you Skywalker, as I destroyed your father." In a fit of rage, Luke managed to fend off Starkillers intended finishing blow. Luke allowed himself to be opened to the Dark Side, and a powerful red and black Dark Side aura surrounded him. With this newfound strength Luke fought back against Starkiller, displaying greater strength and stamina as well as new abilities including a powerful stream of red Dark Side Lightning. Even with this newfound power he was still no match for Starkiller. Angry and full of Dark Side energy, Luke relentlessly attacked, smashing his saber against Starkiller's until Starkiller Force pushed him, disarming him and simultaneously cutting off his right hand.

At his mercy once again, Starkiller was going to finish Luke off when the Millennium Falcon flew overhead. Starkiller grabbed the ship with the Force, keeping it from moving. As he held it he provoked Luke saying, "You are strong Skywalker, but only your hatred will give you the power to save your friends! Give in to the Dark Side!" and Luke retaliated by casting another arc of red Force lightning at him, causing Starkiller to release the ship and block the lightning with his lightsaber and cast it back at Luke. Impressed, Starkiller walked over to Luke saying "Very good, my... apprentice". Luke looked up at his new master in pure hatred—his eyes turned yellow and red due to his use of the dark side.

He has been said to be what Luke Skywalker would have been if he had joined Darth Vader.

The Apprentice is the photo negative of Luke Skywalker. He's been raised by Darth Vader, and is what Luke would have become if he had joined his father. Vader's not a very nice daddy. This guy has been raised to be a Jedi. When the Jedi use the Force, they respect it and don't overuse it. The bad guys - the Sith - keep testing their limits. Vader discovered this person who had the potential to be the most powerful Force user ever. He's up there with the top tier. He's extremely powerful. Vader has trained him in such a way that he just kept pushing his limitations, seeing how far he could use the Force. So, where a normal Jedi might use the Force to trick his way past a few stormtroopers, the apprentice might use the Force to bring down an adjacent building on top of those stormtroopers. He's extremely confident in everything he does. He's been trained by Vader to be an assassin, an unstoppable force.

Haden Blackman, writer of The Force Unleashed, said in a Spike TV interview that his codename began with "S"; it was later revealed to be "Starkiller," a name originating in early drafts of Star Wars.

Jacob Nion was the character's original name, but was changed shortly before the game's release. Due to the earlier releases of the novel and the comic, Marek was named "Jacob Nion" in the German translation of the novel and the French-language version of The Force Unleashed. The PS2 databank entry also reflects this difference, listing Kento Marek as Kento Nion instead.

Luke Skywalker's name was originally going to be Annikin Starkiller. Sam Witwer said in an interview "This is what would have happened if Luke had joined Vader."

Galen's surname, Marek, is also a common Polish, Czech and Slovakian given name and the Eastern Europe variant of Marco, while his first name (Galen) is the Swedish word for crazy and mad.

Galen Marek shares his first name with a prominent Roman physician and philosopher of Greek origin, Claudius Aelius Galenus or "Galen". He was debatably the most accomplished and historically important medical researcher of the Roman period. The name could have possibly served as an inspiration for the Secret Apprentice.

In the Hasbro Vader's Secret Apprentice Evolutions pack, it stated the following: "A son of a fallen Jedi is abducted by Vader to be his Secret Apprentice. As a young adult, the apprentice must choose his destiny: Join Lord Vader and wipe out the remaining Jedi, or become a noble Jedi and bring hope to the galaxy."

Downloadable content recently added three more outfits that can be selected, including General Starkiller, Hooded Combat Gear, and Sith Assassin. Yet another pack of downloadable content added another group of outfits for Galen (along with the Jedi Temple Mission which includes more). The costumes provided were titled Spirit Apprentice, Utility Combat Suit, Animated Style (Clone Wars Style Apprentice), Temple Exploration Gear, Cybernetic Reconstruction (A very extreme version of the Sith Stalker outfit), Sith Warrior (Sith Stalker without the helmet), and Sith Training Gear (Another variation on the Training Gear, somewhat similar to the Heavy Training Gear outfit).

Marek's primary outfit, provided by Vader, is also used as his first training gear uniform. In concept art, Marek also wears what appears to be some sort of Force shackles.